La Montée de la planète des singes

I really didn't want to watch this movie at all. I don't like it when classics are being rebooted nowadays, which happens very often. It would have to be really something special to catch my interest. And here, it really looked like it, because this movie had quite a high rating above my expectations, so I gave it a try. The film is very well shot, the effects are perfect, but I can't help it, it's all just so silly. The story... The fact that things that could be done simply are complicated in the film, I could overlook. But the fact that years go by as if nothing, the army, armed with bullets as powerful as air bombs, can't shoot down even one monkey, and what's more, they don't even shoot through a bus really touch me. It all ends with a very spicy scene in the middle of a sequoia forest. At that moment, I thought that an American would have sent a nuclear warhead into the sequoias and would have been done with it all. (2012-01-16)

The monkeys’ gazes gradually become more expressive and sincere than the gazes of the human actors, and the initial protagonist, a scientist played by James Franco, and his companions become nothing but a bunch of extras. In other words, it’s rather more "Rise of the Planet of WETA". It has the charm of fantasy worlds, a fast pace, a deluge of visual and screenwriting ideas, perfect action, loads of emotions, a subtle ecological message, and especially the omnipresent positive feel-good vibes without the need for darkness and violence, though the film talks about serious things. It is not possible that it took just a little over 100 minutes. For me, this was a feast, a perfect viewing experience and the most enjoyable blockbuster since the mid-1990s (Jurassic Park, Twister). And here I thought that the problem was just me being unable to go back there. (2011-07-29)

Along with X-Men, this is the second blockbuster this year that pushes the envelope in spectacular ways (WETA studio has once again pushed the boundaries of the impossible) while not being afraid to be clever. There may be some reservations regarding it, but we will see after the second screening. Very soon. [PS: When I heard the word "No!" my heart stopped for a few seconds.] (2011-08-21)

I can't help but find this movie as a whole so paradoxically human. I was mesmerized by the beautiful shots and the perfect music. Watching the apes defy the humans and fight for freedom was an incredible experience for me. That monkey power took over the whole theater. Caesar's legendary line "Caesar is home" made me want to stand up and clap... I am also happy about the casting of the beautiful Freida Pinto. Ladies and gentlemen, you couldn't have done it better. The full 5 stars. (2011-08-16)

Veni, Vidi, Vici. Now two Caesars can say this. A prequel thirty years later where the senselessly grafted on (and absolutely unnecessary) action finale in “what didn’t fit into Jackson’s King Kong" style which unfortunately reduces the emotional ride mediated by soulful ape gazes to a regular, although very well-made, popcorn movie. But it also has a “heart", which is pretty rare for blockbusters in recent years. (2011-08-11)